Low levels of radioiodine found in Massachusetts water

Sunday

Mar 27, 2011 at 12:01 AMMar 27, 2011 at 11:19 PM

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Sunday that very low concentrations of radioiodine-131, likely associated with the Japan nuclear power plant event, have been detected in a rainwater sample. DPH Commissioner John Auerbach emphasized that the sampling results showed no risk to state drinking water supplies.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health announced Sunday that very low concentrations of radioiodine-131, likely associated with the Japan nuclear power plant event, have been detected in a rainwater sample.

The DPH said the sample location is one of more than 100 locations around the country that are part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Radiation Network monitoring system that routinely monitors for radioactivity in environmental media.

DPH Commissioner John Auerbach emphasized that the sampling results showed no risk to state drinking water supplies.

"The drinking water supply in Massachusetts is unaffected by this short-term, slight elevation in radiation,” said DPH Commissioner John Auerbach. “However, we will carefully monitor the drinking water as we exercise an abundance of caution."

DPH officials said air samples at the same location have shown no detectable radiation.

Authorities said similar testing done in California, Pennsylvania and Washington, have shown comparable levels of I-131 in rainwater samples.

DPH officials said they will work with the state Department of Environmental Protection to collect and analyze additional drinking water samples over the next several days.

"The initial result of DPH tests on water samples from the Quabbin and Wachusetts Reservoirs -- the source of drinking water for 2.5 million Massachusetts residents -- is good news," said MWRA Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard Sullivan. "In an abundance of caution, however, MassDEP is sampling additional areas today so that we can be confident that water bodies across the Commonwealth have not been impacted by the nuclear incident in Japan."

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